Lloyd Owen talks about his role in West End musical The Bodyguard

When Lloyd Owen was offered the role of Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard he didn’t hesitate to accept it.

When Lloyd Owen was offered the role of Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard he didn’t hesitate to accept it. After all, who would refuse a part originally written for the great Steve McQueen? Rachel Mainwaring is granted an audience

It was one of the most iconic films of the ’90s and its theme tune, the breathtaking I Will Always Love You, made Whitney Houston a worldwide star.

The Bodyguard told the story of Rachel Marron, a pop star diva who fell in love with the man assigned to protect her, a former Secret Service agent known as Frank Farmer.

It was a role that propelled Kevin Costner on to the walls of many teenage girls, all hoping to emulate the romantic love story portrayed in the film.

Now that movie, written by Lawrence Kasdan, has been turned into a musical in the West End, opening almost a year after the death of Houston.

And the man charged with taking on the role made famous by Costner is actor Lloyd Owen.

Lloyd, who was born in London to Welsh parents, says: “Do you know the film actually took 15 years to make and the author originally wrote it with Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen in mind?

“By the time it got to the screens, Whitney (Houston) and Kevin (Costner) were in the hot seat, but I can’t pretend it wasn’t a thrill to be offered a role that was once written for McQueen.

“When I was asked to star in it, they had already chosen Heather Headley to play Whitney’s role and she is quite brilliant; when I knew the director was Thea Sharrock, it wasn’t a hard decision.

“The stage version is very faithful to the film but with some changes, so the people who come and watch it because they love it will certainly not be disappointed.”

Just like in the movie, the role of Frank doesn’t require an all-singing, all-dancing thesp.

“No, I don’t do much singing,” says the actor, whose big break came playing Professor Henry Jones Sr, father to Indiana Jones, in the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

“I can sing, but I only ever get to do a karaoke version of I Will Always Love You!

“Heather’s singing is just phenomenal though.

“She’s an amazing talent.”

The Bodyguard, now on at the Adelphi Theatre in London, features all the songs from the film plus other Houston hits including One Moment In Time, Saving All My Love, I’m Your Baby Tonight, How Will I Know, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and, of course, the legendary I Will Always Love You.

And Lloyd, whose Caernarfon-born father Glyn Owen is perhaps best remembered as Jack Rolfe in the TV series Howards’ Way, says watching the original movie again before he started rehearsals brought memories of that era flooding back.

The Rada-trained father-of-two, whose Welsh-speaking mum was a doctor from Morriston, says: “It was really old-fashioned, almost like watching a period drama although at the time it obviously wasn’t anything like that.

“Kevin Costner was brilliant as Frank; he played it terrifically and it’s a thrill to be bringing it to life on the West End stage.

“I’ve done many stage productions over the years (Who’s Afraid of Virgina Wolfe at The Almeida and Aldwych Theatre, Closer at the Lyric Theatre and Paul at the National Theatre) but this is the first musical for me and I do believe it’s like a memorial for Whitney.

“I was chosen for the role a year last January when she was still alive, and then she died so tragically in February last year.

“Her story became such a Hollywood story in itself, which is so ironic.

“It’s just so sad that she never got to see it but Heather is outstanding in the role and Whitney fans will know the singing is dedicated to her.”

Lloyd, who starred in the hit BBC Sunday night series Monarch of the Glen for four years as Paul Bowman-McDonald, was very close to his actor father who died in 2004 and the 45-year-old says he naturally misses his advice.

“I remember watching him in Twelfth Night on stage when I was younger and I actually forgot he was my dad.

“That’s when I realised what a good actor he was. It always gave us something to talk about and I do miss his counsel.

“He never pushed me into acting but I was kind of press-ganged into at school because I suppose I was quite good at it.

“You tend to stick to things you are good at and so at 16 I went into the National Youth Theatre and then onto Rada and I’ve been fortunate to be able to mix it up with theatre, TV and film ever since.

“Before The Bodyguard role came along, I was actually living out in Los Angeles with my wife and daughter Mimi, although my son Max stayed in London as he’s at university.

“We had a wonderful few years out there but what I noticed is that there was far more competition for each role for men of my age group.

“In London, you’d have about eight guys vying for the same role but in LA it was more like 30 or 40 for each part.

“But it keeps you on your toes.

“I’m in The Bodyguard now until September and then who knows? But it would be fantastic to take it to Broadway. That would really be a thrill.”

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